Turkey: Hazal Ocak, Olcay Büyüktaş Akça, Two Other Journalists Stand Trial For SLAPP Filed By Erdoğan’s Son
Location: Turkey, İstanbul
Date: February 8, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The second hearing of the strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) against journalists Hazal Ocak, Olcay Büyüktaş Akça and two other defendants was held in İstanbul on Tuesday. The journalists stand trial for the criminal charge of “insult by means of an oral, written or visual medium message” on the complaint of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son Bilal Erdoğan. At the hearing on Tuesday, the prosecution completed its arguments and sought a conviction on the basis of a news report published in Cumhuriyet newspaper in 2021. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the weaponization of law to silence critical press.
Four former staffers of the daily newspaper stand trial for the SLAPP filed after reports revealing President Erdoğan’s son’s links with businessmen who were awarded public tenders. In October 2021, Bilal filed a criminal complaint against former Cumhuriyet reporter Hazal, former editor-in-chief Olcay, then internet executive Ozan Yurtoğlu and then editorial coordinator Serkan Ozan over a report published on January 31 that year. He claimed that the report titled, “Burak and Bilal Erdoğan’s friend Başçı won five public tenders worth 26.4 million Turkish liras: The friend is tenders rich,” was insulting and constituted libel.
Appearing before the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on Tuesday both Hazal and Serkan denied the charge against them.
Meanwhile, the prosecution moved the court to punish the journalists for “insulting public officials in a chain” based on the headline and contents of the report penned by Hazal. The prosecution argued that phrases used in the report such as “Bilal Erdoğan’s lucky friend” and “the friend is tenders rich” as well as the use of Bilal’s photos in the article constitute insult and libel. It further argued that the allegations made in the report were of a nature which could offend the honor and dignity of the complainant.
The prosecutor sought a prison sentence of up to four years and a judicial fine for each of the journalists on the charge of “insult by means of an oral, written or visual medium message”. Giving the defense time to prepare arguments on the prosecution’s case, the court adjourned the hearing till June 7, 2022.
During the hearing, Hazal and Ozan both pleaded not guilty. The former expressed disbelief at the prosecutor’s request and said that her faith in the legal system and a fair trial were shaken. Ozan also expressed shock at the prosecutor’s arguments and said he could not understand how the article in question could be construed as “insult”.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the SLAPP against Hazal Ocak, Olcay Büyüktaş Akça, Ozan Yurtoğlu and Serkan Ozan. We extend solidarity to the journalists and call for their immediate acquittal. It is a journalist’s job to speak truth to power and hold public officials accountable. Journalists must be able to do so without fear of government retaliation. We urge the Turkish judiciary to respect the rights of an independent press and call on the Turkish government to investigate the allegations made in the report instead of taking action against the reporters. The case against the former staffers of Cumhuriyet newspaper reflects poorly on the country which claims to be a democracy. It does not go amiss that the president’s son chose to pursue a criminal case against individual journalists and not the media house. It is apparent that the intention is to bleed the financial resources of the journalists and legally harass them in a bid to intimidate them into silence.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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